You lose some; you win some. Just ask Optimedia.
In the wake of being cut from the global media review of Siemens Enterprise Communications, the firm has won Pizza Hut's U.S. media planning and buying business. And although Pizza Hut is a domestic account, its annual media spend is much bigger: $230 million compared to an estimated $90 million for Siemens Enterprise Communications.
The other Pizza Hut finalists were Universal McCann, Ingenuity Media Group, and MEC, the incumbent for the past decade. Select Resources International in Santa Monica, Calif., managed the process.
Ingenuity is the media arm of The Martin Agency, Pizza Hut's lead creative shop since late 2009. So, Martin, an Interpublic Group shop, failed in a bid to grab all of the chain's business.
With Optimedia, Pizza Hut chief marketing officer Kurt Kane promises a "refreshed media strategy" in 2012, as the brand explores new channels of communication.
